Tilay  8,  1902. 
403 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND 
CO  TTA  GE  GA  RDENER. 
Zygopetalum  Schroderianum. 
The  plant  we  place  under  its  correct  name,  has  been,  and  is, 
'known  to  some  as  Bollea  Schroderiana.  The  sepals  and  petals 
.are  pure  white,  with  the  exception  of  a  faint  blush  tint  at  tiie 
edge,  while  the  peculiarly  formed  lip  is  rosy-purple.  The  flowers 
.are  delightfully  fragrant.  In  1895  it  i-eceived  a  First  Class 
Certificate,  when  shown  by  Mesrs.  Sander  and  Sons.  The  plant 
is  still  scarce.  It  is  a  South  American  species,  flowering  at 
various  times  of  the  year,  and  requires  a  stove  temperature. 
The  Week’s  Cultural  Notes. 
The  section  of  Orchids  such  as  Bolleas,  Pescatoreas, 
Warscewiczellas  and  the  like,  are  not  as  popular  as  they  were, 
but  most  collections  contain  a  few.  Having  no^  pseudo-bulbs  to 
sustain  them,  the  plants  are  naturally  more  prone  to  checks  from 
•various  causes  than  most,  and  it  is  imperative  that  a  very 
fade  the  plants  must  be  top-dressed  if  needed,  and  they  too, 
placed  without  delay  in  their  growing  quarters.  ’ 
As  the  season  advances  more  water  must  be  given  to  the 
majority  of  Orchids,  and  especially  to  those  like  Calanthes. 
Thunias  and  others,  the  new  leads  of  Avhich  are  growing  and 
rooting  freely.  In  the  warmest  section,  where  these  and  Dendro- 
biums,  Aerides,  Vandas  of  sorts,  and  Old  World  kinds  generally 
are  groAvn,  the  most  must  be  made  of  bright  .sarnny  days  by 
shutting  up  early  in  the  aftenioon  with  ample  moi.sture  and 
lifting  the  shading,  the  sun  causing  a  very  suitable  quickened 
atmosphere  congenial  to  these  heat-loving  Orchids. — H.  B.  R. 
Abnormal  Cypripedium. 
Mr.  Douglas  brought  a  flower  of  a  hybrid  variety  to  the 
Scientific  Committee’s  meeting  on  the  8th  ult.,  in  which  the  lip, 
instead  of  forming  a  pouch,  was  divided  into  three  portions,  a 
ba.sal  portion  concave  and  trough-like,  green,  marked  with  small 
purplish  dots;  an  anterior  portion  raised  and  hump-like,  striped 
with  dark  brownish  piu'ple  on  an  olive-coloured  ground.  On 
either  side  of  this  was  a  Avide,  oblong,  projecting  Aving.  The 
column  AA’as  normal. 
New  Cactus  Dahlias. 
Zygopetalum  Schroderianum. 
regular  and  moist  temperature  is  kept  up  in  the  house  Avherein 
they  are  groAvn.  Position  has  a  lot  to  do  with  their  success  or 
otherwise,  and  the  most  likely  place  for  them  to  succeed  is  under 
the  shade  of  other  plants  rather  than  in  a  heavily  shaded  house. 
I  used  to  groAV  a  fine  batch  of  Pescatoreas  in  a  house  the 
roof  of  which  Avas  covered  Avith  a  thick  groAAhh  of  Stephanotis,  but 
Avhich  had  no  other  shading,  and  here  they  did  remarkably  Avell 
in  company  with  Ccelogyne  ci-istata  and  others.  If  the  compost 
has  not  yet  been  seen  to  no  further  time  must  be  lost.  None  of 
this  section  like  disturbance  at  the  root,  so  do  as  little  as 
possible  consistent  with  a  SAveet  compost.  None  of  them  relish 
much  material  about  the  roots,  so  let  the  materials  be  carefully 
chosen  and  so  thinly  placed  that  the  roots  may  easily  pass 
through  it  to  the  drainage. 
Odontoglossum  citrosmum  will  be  rapidly  opening  its  flowers, 
and  it  is  well  to  give  the  plants  a  thorough  soaking  of  water  just 
before  the  top  blossoms  begin  to  open,  this  preventing  much 
water  being  required  Avhile  in  floAver,  and  consequent  spotting  of 
the  blossoms.  Anv  plants  not  shoAving  the  spikes  by  noAV  must 
not  further  be  Aveakened  by  withholding  water,  but  placed  in  a 
genial  temperature,  Avatered  freely,  and  grown  on  with  a  vieiv 
to  a  more  successful  floAvering  period  next  season.  As  the  floAvers 
Tear  by  year  the  Cactus  Dahlia  gains  admirers,  and  Avere 
it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  Chrysanthemum  floAA’ers,  as  it  does,  in 
the  damp  and  dreary  autumn,  Dahlias  Avould  threaten  to  become 
a  A^ery  serious  and  formidable  rival.  This  is,  hoAvever,  avoided  by 
the  different  times  of  floAvering,  and,  far  from  the  two  great 
autumn  royalties  rivalling  one  another  for  the  greater  popularity, 
they  follow  on  in  their  blooming  to  such  a  nicety,  that  Ave  can 
turn  oixr  face  from  the  last  draggled  and  bruised  Dahlia  bloom 
and  go  indoors  to  watch  the  opening  buds  of  the  Chry^santhemum. 
This  being  so,  it  is  no  Avonder  that  nurserymen  and  florists 
generally  are  turning  their  attention  to  the  Cactus  Dahlia,  all 
being  attracted  by  the  increasing  attention  that  is  given  to  this 
particular  branch  of  the  varied  Dahlia  family  by  large  and  small 
floAver  growers  alike.  We  knoAv  of  no  other  flower  at  the  present 
time  that  is  so  constantly  changing  its  “  ideal  ”  of  perfection,  or 
so  steadily  improving,  as  the  Cactus  Dahlia  is,  and  has  been 
during  the  last  ten  jmars.  To  such  an  extent  do  the  forms  of 
the  many  first  cla.ss  flowers  now  differ  that  they  can  be  split 
up  into  several  almost  distinct  sections,  each  having  its  admirers, 
and  each  its  oAvn  particular  chann  and  beauty;  and,  althougli 
several  Ave  have  spoken  to  seem  to  deplore  this  tendency,  and 
Avould  much  prefer  a  hard  and  fast  rule  by  which  to  reckon  up 
the  points  of  the  Cactus  varieties,  by  far  the  larger  number 
agree  that  it  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  beautiful  features  of 
the  family.  Certainly,  in  our  opinion,  it  is  one  of  the  most 
pleasing  traits  in  the  many  that  the  Cactus  Dahlia  can  lay  claim 
to,  as  it  keeps  it  from  becoming  a  floAver  that  one  aubav  of  suffices, 
as:  in  the  case  of  double  varieties. 
It  is  very  natural  that  a  flower  which  is  becoming  such  a 
necessary  adjunct  to  every  garden  Avorthy  of  the  name  should 
be  raised  in  tremendous  numbers  from  seed  every  year,  and 
so  each  season  sees  a  long  list  of  nexv  varieties.  It  is  of  these 
that  a  few  notes  are  hei-e  giA-en,  as  many  readers  of  these  columns 
are  just  noAV  considering  the  advisability  of  laying  in  a  stock  of 
the  new  sorts  for  1902.  Here  we  might  mention  that  so  fast  is 
the  upward  movement  of  this  floAver,  and  so  anxious  are  tlie 
votarie.s  of  it  to  possess  the  best,  that  if  the  up-to-date  florist 
does  not  purchase  the  noA’elties  the  first  season  he  is  ahvays 
in  a  state  of  “  second  rabidness  ”  (if  such  a  term  may  be  applied) ; 
but  as  very  feAV  can  afford  to  buy  a  complete  set  right  through, 
we  give  a  feAV  of  the  very  best  varieties  from  the  several  chief 
raisers. 
Before  giving  details  of  these,  hoAvever,  a  feAv  Avords  Avill 
jAi’obably  interest  groAvers  as  to  one  or  two-  more  or  less  distinct 
types  noticed,  last  autumn.  Amongst  these  were  at  least  tAAO 
AAuth  somewhat  short,  yet  numerous,  petals,  Avider  at  the  base 
than  usual,  but  very  incurved  and  pointed  at  the  tips,  so  that 
in  looking  at  the  bloom  all  the  little  open  ends  of  the  petals 
were  visible.  The  type  was  certainly  pretty,  and  the  vaidety 
most  strikingly  representing.  It  Avas  IVIars,  a  crimson-coloured 
floAver.  Last  autumn,  too,  a  most  decided  “break”  Avas  intro¬ 
duced  in  Alpha,  which  is  a  Fancy  Cactus,  being  white  speckled, 
spotted  and  striped  with  crimson  and  lilac,  and  Avhich  roused 
considerable  speculation  amongst  Dahlia  men  as  to  a  probable 
future  family  of  Fancies.  The  flower  was  of  good  Cactus  form, 
and  Avas  certainly  an  interesting  addition. 
Amongst  very  incurved  varieties  were  the  following  (and  this 
section  has  probably  the  largest  number  of  folloAA-ers) ;  — Clio,  an 
^xcBcdinsly  potallGcl  flowGr,  with  an  abiinclanc©  or  iloiGts 
rominding  on©  of  Sta^rfish ;  Goldfinch,  of  perfect*  foi  in  and  fin© 
petals,  yellowish  colour,  Avith  the  unopened  centie  tinted  pink, 
